China is #1 in the world, right? I won't give anything away about the match, so as not to spoil it for those who want to watch it w/out knowing the results. to me, it kinda looked like China was way too fast for the US. lots of kills came on the slide, lots. some were tight, some were wide - it didn't matter after a while 'cause everything started going down. Feng is amazing though, i would love to see China play Brazil at some point.Very disappointing loss, they could not beat China even when their best player Zhao Rui Rui is missing yet give credit to her replacement, Zhang who was the second best scorer in the match
P. Zhang, #18 of China was unstoppable. The US had trouble stopping the middle attack.
Didn't recognize Wang Li Na, she gained a lot of weight since Sydney 2000. Also Hao Yan looks bigger these days. Even then, both were almost unstoppable. Barros had 7 aces. Her serve is like Aguero, very fast and powerful. This is particularly impressive considering that China is a very good at passing.
Feng is a setter from hell. She runs such a great offense. Established the middle early and then ran a bunch of combo plays... the poor Russians didn't see what hit them. China is definitely the team to beat.
Not too early to start putting together our next Olympic team. It's only four short years away...
Let's start with:
New Coach--Can't think of any USA coach right now. Any suggestions? We might have to import again. I still say bring the "Howling Bear" over hear to kick some butt. Or Lang Ping. She's credited with bringing the Chinese program back on track to a silver in '96 after a disastrous showing in '92. Of course, she's considered a deity in China and their federation, and government, might have a problem with her coaching another team in their Olympics.Setter--We need a real leader with a full repertoire of sets and strengths. I get so jealous of China when I see Kun Feng play. She's as dazzling as Debbie Green used to be, plus she can hit and block. USA hasn't had a setter with the hands, savvy, and leadership of Green, except for May. But since Misty isn't an option, we need another setter to step forward. I wonder if Hochevar is going to stay with the program. She would have to work really hard to get to that skill level but she has the physical gifts of a setter like Feng.Lang Ping will never work for USA Volleyball. She knows the ins and outs of that organization too well (she has a lot of friends in this country) and knows what she would be up against.P.S. We don't need a new coach. Toshi is doing a terrific job. Considering how many years and how many Olympics they gave Liskeyvich, Toshi should remain as coach, as long as he himself is willing to stay another 4 years. Brazil would be dead in the water without Mari. 26 kills and 6 blocks!
I'm going to put my money on China. They just seem a bit steadier, less prone to runs of errors. Their attack is the most balanced of any team so they're still potent even if one or two players aren't connecting. Can't wait to see Kun Feng work her magic on the Russian block.The Russians, especially Karpol, look hungry for a gold medal. Is Artamonova healthy enough to play? I'd love to see her, Sokolova, and Gamova on the court at the same time pounding their heavy spikes at the Chinese diggers
I want China to win
Russia takes first set, 30-28. This is one helluva match so far. Big bombing from Russia and dazzling defense from the Chinese.
Could it be because Yang is the best backrow attacker? So China has a third attacker for two of the rotaions that Feng is in the front row. Zhou, the OPP, doesn't do much out of the back row...just my theory.
Wang's replacement, Zhang Yue Hong is gooood. when she spikes you can hear an audible "Ugghh" from her The difference between 6'8" Gamova from RUS and the USA's 6'7" Haneef? Armswing, baby, armswing.Gamova hits those high ball sets at maximum extension, flat, and uses wrist snap to both direct the ball and topspin it into the opponent's court.Sokolova is having a hard time with the Chinese's block right now. Maybe she remembered what happened fours years ago The Chinese are a nightmare to try to block. The speed, height and tempo of their attacks are so varied it would drive any blocker nuts. They just set a straight 2-set to the MB in transition and she put it away. When's the last time you saw that play in international volleyball outside the Cubans? Feng Kun left no doubt that she's the best setter on the planet. This team was without it's superstar but she got the most out of every player. looking at the stats, China had 5 players with double digit kills and the setter Feng leading all players in blocks. Simply amazing.
I think it's been said before that an average setter can make a great team average, but a great setter can make an average team great. Feng was the latter one. She saved so many overpassed balls and set up her hitters perfectly (except one that she was called over in the fifth set. It was a great set but it seemed that the ref didn't want the match to end...)Even with 2 games down, China never had that slouchy, droopy look like Brazil did.I don't think China ever gets slouchy or droopy, even if they're getting hammered. They always stay upbeat on an even keel, unlike the teams that rely on emotion and run hot or cold. It's just their sports culture. Quick, well-rounded, MBs with lighting attacks don't exist in this country. We are the country blessed (or cursed) with slow arm swings. It's prevalent on the men's side, and at all-time epidemic levels on the women's side. I can go to the bathroom, relieve myself, and come back and sit down on the sofa in the time it takes either one of Team USA's starting MBs to make an approach, jump, get their arms back, and hit a first-tempo set.Plus, the Chinese hitters hit front quicks faster than anyone else in the world. They are usually up in the air before the setter even has the ball in her hands and are swinging on it before the opposing block has time to react. Anyway..going back to Chinese. Eveybody's i wondering how they can run such an offense. Well have you seen one pass that was not perfect?? Ok ..maybe one. But their whole practice is probably ball control. And not just passing- defense, drills, everything. And it is not just the speed- it is the fluidity of their offense. Perfect sets, perfect placement and- more importantly- perfect timing. It takes HOURS and HOURS of practice to be that consistent and the only way to get there is doing it the old fashioned way- get a whole rack of balls and set, pass, dig, whatever until it's perfect. What are they doing in terms of ball control training?
It's simply amazing. Almost everyball is precise, every set is quick. They're not super tall, nor talented, but they're awesome And...I beg to differ, the Chinese are very talented. Their recognition and reaction speed are probably the best in the world, and their foot speed and lateral quickness are unmatched.
So, since we all know that they are the best passers, why aren't we sending our probable OH's and Liberos, for the '08 olympics, to the chinese clubs rather than in Italy? Wouldn't they benefit more from learning their techniques? And there's nothing secret about the way China wins. They just train like it's a religion. Why is China so good? How about practicing 6 probably 7 days a week 2-3 times a day, no family, no friends, no husbands, boyfriends. It's all volleyball, all the time. I spend 5-7 hours every night sleeping. I'm pretty darn good at it. China is better than me at volleyball because while I'm working on sleeping, they are playing volleyball. And when I'm awake, they are still playing volleyball. Why are the Chinese so good? Technical perfection is in their blood. Not to sound stereotypical, but a hard work ethic is engrained in every aspect of Chinese culture. Chinese cooking? It's all about the perfect balance of ingredients. The calligraphy? Perfect upside/downside strokes, sidestrokes ...every character is a work of art. Chinese architecture? Once again, it's all about balance, architectually and visually.So I would wager that those same principles are applied to volleyball. You can't get the quick kill without the perfect pass. It's all in the flow....like tai-chi. They will not quit until they perfect their technique....I find that very admirable. The only way to beat the Chinese is to disrupt the flow with hard serves like Cuba, as forementioned in a previous post.
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